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Forded water in your XK?

5K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  powerslave1966 
#1 ·
I was doing training about 2 weeks ago in Elizabeth City, NC and while I was out eating lunch. Our one road back to the CG base had flooded due to a severe thunderstorm. I watched as a few monster F-150s went through it then watched a Geo soft top try and have it filled with water. I went for it and the water came up to where the window controls sit on the inside at the deepest. sorry the photo isn't from the deepest point, we didn't want it flowing in the windows. after doing this it made me seriously consider getting a snorkel. I filled the Jeep with the other guys I was out to lunch with (the mazda-3 was not going through this) so with 8 guys filling it we made it out fine. just glad we chose to take my Jeep to lunch :bowdown:


 
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#2 ·
pretty deep stuff without a snorkel! up to the arm rests means you were in serious risk of taking a big gulp of water, in the motor that is. Better check that air filter....
 
#3 ·
yea, definitely not doing that again without a snorkel! i checked the filter after and although moist it hadnt been submerged. i have a K&N CAI and that puts the air intake about 2 inches higher than the stock one thats on the passenger side of the grill. but yes, way too deep for something without a snorkel haha
 
#4 ·
We went through about two-three feet of water in town last summer, in a particular spot going into my parents street it usually gets over three feet deep. We were right in the middle of that huge puddle when a small saturn comes in from the other end and stomps the throttle, putting a huge wave over the hood and up to the windshield! No damage done but a huge scare for my little 3.7. There was a guy going up and down his neighborhood street on a kayak that day, I can't find the pics, I think they're on my wife's cell, I'll post when and if I can find them.
 
#6 ·
Yeah, I've read the horror stories but IDK, maybe just bad luck, time and place kind of thing? The wife and I actually do try to test the limits of our commander, at that time, I was driving and was going really slow, as to not make the engine suck in water, so we were good, not a drop of water came through those door seals either.:)
 
#7 ·
Very impressed. I don't know if I would have done that in ours. I like that you can see where the waterline is (in the pic) in the mirror - no joke that's deep.
 
#8 ·
You may have done damage without seeing it now. Differentials, transmission, and transfer case all have vents to allow the expansion of the interior air as the fluids heat up with use. If these parts are warm with normal use (they will be after a little while) and you dunk them underwater, they cool - cool fuid contracts, sucking air in through the breather. If that breather is underwater you suck water in. Check your fluids, if there's any hint of milkiness change them.
Personally, I don't know where the vents are in the Commander since I don't really take it off road. In my trail rig I extended all my vents up to at least the top of the firewall.
 
#9 ·
Now go and swap out your front and rear differential fluids as they are filled with water. Check your t-case as well while your at it. Your lucky you didnt blow your engine. Others have gone through a lot less water then that and ended up hydrolocking the engine. I wouldnt even recommend going through that much water with a snorkel as there are many other things on the XK that need to be addressed before making your XK a submarine.
 
#11 ·
The XK's axles are vented up high, through check valves on the hose ends. That's not a huge concern so much as soaked carpeting, wiring in the doors, wet window and door locking motors, etc. etc.

The air intake is in a risky location for deep crossings, especially if you move fast enough to create a wave in the front. The pushed wave can add a couple of feet to the water depth, and the intake can get swamped. If/when that happens, you have a hydro-locked engine. There's threads here about that horror.

What are your plans for the wet carpet and pad? Not to mention the foam in the seats?
 
#12 ·
The rear axle vent hose really isnt that high. I found out the hard way. Lets just say when I drained the differential there was a 50/50 mixture of water/gear oil. Not only that but the t-case fluid was a little milky. Youd be surprised how easy it is to get water in the differentials.

Im in the process of helping a friend install a BDS 4 inch lift on his 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee and to my surprise his rear vent hose is only abut 6-8 inches long and connects to the lower track bar mount. Not sure why its that low. Im sure they change it in the newer models.
 
#13 ·
awsome pic! time for a how-to thread on a snorkle.
 
#14 ·
The rear axle vent for the XK is located directly above the axle and mounted to the underside of the body. Front axle vent is attached to the upper strut tower bolt in the engine compartment. t-case vent is on the firewall......I think?
 
#15 ·




That's the car that shoved a huge wave of water over my hood in the first pic, the rest are in shallow parts of the city when it flooded last year.:)
 
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